Rayagada: Rayagada Police have solved the high-profile murder case of local youth Hadpa Nikhil, who was abducted and killed a week ago.
Nine accused persons, including main perpetrator Umesh Hial, have been arrested in a coordinated operation covering neighbouring states.
Announcing the nine arrests, Rayagada Superintendent of Police Swathi S Kumar informed at a press conference on Sunday that the murder stemmed from a dispute over a loot from a gambling den.
Besides prime accused Umesh, masterminds Raj Simili and Akshay Samal (alias Tinkulu) were nabbed from Madanpur area in Bihar’s Aurangabad district.
Four others — Y Shyamsundar, V Lokesh Kumar, B Pawan Kumar and S Prem Kumar — were arrested from Andhra’s Visakhapatnam.
The remaining two — Sumit Jain and Raja Huika — were arrested from Kesinga in Odisha’s Kalahandi district and Rayagada, respectively.
Authorities seized one firearm, a black Scorpio, a Bolero, 11 mobile phones and some credit cards from the accused. All nine were produced in court on May 17.
The arrests mark a significant step, but SP Kumar said that the probe is continuing. More individuals linked to the case could be picked up in the days to come.
What happened
The incident occurred on the night of May 9 in Rayagada town. Teenager Nikhil was allegedly chased and shot by armed assailants while returning from a local puja celebration at Budurabalsa Sahi. The accused intercepted him at Indira Nagar 3rd Lane, fired at him — injuring him in the chest and waist – and abducted him in a vehicle, before killing him.
Nikhil’s bullet-riddled body was recovered on the morning of May 10 near the Nagabali riverbed, close to Tumbiguda.
According to police sources, Nikhil was allegedly part of a gang that had looted cash, gold and valuables worth around Rs 1 crore from a gambling den in Koraput district. Dispute over sharing the spoils with Umesh’s group escalated into the fatal confrontation.
Nikhil’s murder triggered widespread outrage, protests and tension in Rayagada.
Nikhil’s family members and local people took out processions, blocked roads and also vandalised properties linked to the suspects, demanding swift justice. Multiple special teams were formed to investigate what became a high-profile case.
